airberlin embarks on new partnership with Air France-KLM

The Air France-KLM Group, Etihad Airways and airberlin today announced a new, strategic partnership designed to dovetail and considerably strengthen the route networks of the airlines involved.

The agreement includes a codeshare agreement between airberlin and the Air France-KLM Group, which will come into effect on 28 October 2012. This is airberlin's fourteenth codeshare agreement.

The expansion in France allows airberlin to consolidate its market position in Europe. The partnership with the Air France-KLM Group increases the number of destinations available to airberlin passengers in France from three to nine.

The new agreement means that passengers will be able to travel not only to the three French airberlin airports of Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Nice, but will soon also be able to fly with Air France via the Paris airports of Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly to Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Marseilles, Nantes and Toulouse.

The codeshare with airberlin will allow Air France to increase the number of destinations it can offer in Germany, Poland and Austria. Air France will in future be able to include codeshare flights with airberlin via Berlin-Tegel to Krakow and Gdansk in Poland, to Graz in Austria, and from Düsseldorf to Dresden and from Nice to Vienna.

Consequently airberlin is continuing to develop its hubs and is expanding its services to Poland, a strategically important market, in a move that also underlines the airline's expertise in Eastern Europe.

Furthermore, KLM and airberlin are planning codeshares on the flights between Amsterdam-Schiphol and Berlin. In addition to Amsterdam, airberlin is planning to extend codeshares to KLM flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, while KLM would like to offer its customers airberlin flights to Krakow, Gdansk and Kaliningrad.

"Our cooperation with the Air France-KLM Group represents another milestone for airberlin in developing a unique, global flight network in conjunction with these world-beating airlines. This strategic step will add further interesting services to the choice we can offer our passengers and will have a positive influence on our operations. In this way we will considerably strengthen our presence in the European market and link our Berlin hub to even more destinations," commented Hartmut Mehdorn, airberlin Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Etihad Airways, airberlin's strategic partner, has concluded an extensive codeshare agreement with Air France and KLM.

Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Air France-KLM Chief Executive Officer, commented: “This new partnership between Air France, KLM and Etihad Airways and Air Berlin reflects our Group’s strategic positioning to ensure the best possible services between Europe and the rest of the world, by developing our network and airline partnerships. Working with Etihad Airways allows us to offer our customers a range of new attractive destinations.”

From 28th October 2012 Etihad Airways customers will have the additional option of a daily KLM flight from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi on the routes between Europe and Abu Dhabi.

Air France customers will be able to book flights between Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Abu Dhabi, a daily service operated by Etihad Airways. This codeshare agreement offers Etihad customers access to ten additional European destinations with Air France and KLM, while five further destinations in the Asian and Australian markets are opened up to customers of both Air France and KLM.